I May Hate You But I Love You
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: Lily loves James. Okay, sure, that's cute, except for the fact that James absolutely hates Lily Evans. But fear not, my dears! The 7th, and final, year at Hogwarts is upon them and with it comes Heads duties, Quidditch, Death Eaters, and a hidden past with Lily that James doesn't even know he shared.
1. Chapter 1

**Agh! I KNOW I shouldn't be doing this but omg, I was reading a bunch of fanfictions and I was like huh, these are all James loves Lily, Lily hates James, but I haven't seen one about Lily loves James, James hates Lily and now look what I've done. Sigh... I'm hopeless. **

**Yeah, I'm sorry this is another Jily even though I'm working on All Of Me and my other Fairy Tail and Naruto fanfiction. But I'm still not over my Jily phase LOL**

**Oh, and I know the title doesn't really fit right now, but I'm working on it.**

**Anyhoo, please review if you likey :D**

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**Chapter 1**

Lily Evans nervously sat inside the empty prefect's cabin, waiting for the Head Boy to make an appearance with the prefects.

"I hope it's Remus," she muttered to herself, fiddling with her wand and twirling it with her fingers. "He's certainly deserved it."

Unbidden, her mind wandered from the position of Head Boy to another Marauder. In her mind, his tousled hair caught the light of the sun and shone black-brown. His hazel eyes, flecked with green and a touch of gold and blue, were bright with mirth. His perfect lips, broad shoulders and fit body that filled out his robes quite nicely, and his long-fingered hands with his rough- looking palms from gripping his broom filled her mind.

Lily sighed sadly as she banished the thought of James Potter from her mind. She knew she would never win his affections, but somehow that only made her want him more.

Why was it that while she was so deeply in love with him, he hated her more than anything in the world?

Granted, he did infuriate her sometimes and she, him, but while Lily usually got over it in a day, James could hold a grudge for months. She couldn't even count the many times she was humiliated in front of him and the entire school by having her scream because someone put tarantulas in her soup, or have her sing a naughty song every time she opened her mouth, or rip her books into pieces if she accidentally left them in the common room, or have her robes enchanted so that it would shrink whenever she touched them so that she couldn't fit in them, or simply make crude jokes about her in the middle of the classroom during a test. After all those things and more, she still wondered why she was still in love with him.

One of the answers was Lyra Potter, James's cousin on his father's side. She was the balm to Lily's frustrations and encouraged her fancy on her cousin. Whenever Lily was about to give up on James, it was she who would remind her of the reason why Lily loved him anyway, and it gave her hope again.

And then the two of them would plot ways to get back at James and the Marauders and gleefully enjoy the fruit of their labor as their pranks took effect.

Of course, that also fueled James's hate for Lily once again, although he adored Lyra. It also helped that she was dating Remus Lupin, one of the nicer boys of the Marauders' gang, although just as mischievous as James and Sirius.

With a sigh, Lily slumped back in her chair, feeling the train rattle beneath her on its way to Hogwarts. This was her last year… and although she and Lyra made plans to become Aurors together, she knew that they would hardly see each other. Lyra would be continuing to stay with her family and Lily… well, she'll work things out later in the year.

There was a rattle and the door slid open. A familiar figure stepped in and Lily's mouth dropped open with surprise even as the other person's eyes narrowed with anger.

"Evans," James said frostily, a gleaming Head Boy badge proudly shining on his chest. She saw his eyes flicker down to the badge on her robes and flicked up to her face again.

"Hello," she said faintly.

They stared at each other in awkward silence, then James went and sat down on the chair farthest from her. Lily choked down the disappointment and looked out the window as James stared at his hands, which were lying on top of the polished table.

After five minutes, Lily couldn't take the charged atmosphere anymore and cleared her throat nervously. "Um, Ja— Potter?" she asked nervously.

"What?" he asked coldly.

Lily bit her bottom lip. "Well, I know we don't get along well… but… for the sake of Heads duties, can we at least try to get along?" She winced at the way the words came out, awkward and stilted.

James was silent for a long minute. "Fine."

She breathed a tiny sigh of relief, both for the fact that their relationship towards each other wouldn't affect their work and the fact that James had actually responded to her. "Thank you."

He grunted a response and looked up as Remus stepped in. "Moony, my good man!"

Remus gave him an odd look. "Prongs, you've just seen me ten minutes ago."

"Ten minutes is ten minutes too long," James grinned widely.

Remus and Lily exchanged a look. They both knew he was purposely leaving her out, pretending she wasn't there. Lily's eyes dropped, but not before she saw the sympathetic look in his eyes. He knew why she was infatuated with his best mate since Lyra told him and has stood by her ever since. "Yeah… Ten minutes is too long of a wait," he said slowly.

James beamed at him and Lily's heart twisted at how beautiful it was. The rest of the prefects began to show up and James simply shifted so that he sat closer to the head of the table, but leaving the one directly next to Lily empty. Remus took that one.

"Remus! I knew you'd be Head Boy!" a sixth-year Hufflepuff prefect said enthusiastically.

"Er, no, sorry," Remus said awkwardly. "The honor goes to James." He pointed at his friend, who stood and bowed, a charming grin on his face. Waving his wand, he produced a bouquet of carnations, which he presented to the girl, who giggled and blushed.

Lily's heart panged again and jealousy washed through her. _Why couldn't he treat me like he treated other girls? Why did he have to hate me? _she thought.

She jumped slightly as she realized that everyone was staring at her. Even James was, although he was steadily glaring a hole into her robes, instead of meeting her eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry!" she yelped, jumping up.

The Slytherins and James snickered, and Lily blushed hotly. Remus was holding in a small smile.

Lily cleared her throat. "Well, as you all know by now, Ja— Potter and I are Heads." She continued to ramble on something about schedules and rules and other bits of waffle that I've heard before from the previous Heads. James didn't say anything at all, and neither did he cause a disruption.

"So, does anyone have any questions?" she finished.

Not one hand was raised. Instead, they all looked slightly relieved that she was finished. "Then I guess we're done for today. Don't forget that fifth year prefects are expected to lead the first years to the dorms!"

There was a scramble to get out the door and soon, the cabin was empty, leaving James, Remus, and Lily in silence.

"Come on, let's go back," James said. "Sirius probably has a stack of Chocolate Frogs waiting for us."

"Knowing him, he's already eaten them," Remus replied. He smiled at Lily and left. The door slammed shut after James's back.

Lily slumped into a chair and buried her face in her hands. This was going to be a long year.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter feels really random, but I wanted to introduce Lyra more. Yeah... Lyra Lily Lyra Lily... and her middle name is Jessamine cause I was rereading the Infernal Devices lol**

**Seriously, I think this feels like a filler chapter, but at the same time it isn't. I don't know what to do, really. I'm mostly just winging it as I go along. Hope you guys don't hate me for that.**

**Anyways, review please. **

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**Chapter 2**

Hogwarts was as magnificent as the first time Lily ever clapped eyes on the castle. She greedily drank it in and didn't notice when James stuck his foot out. With a yelp, she pitched forward.

"Whoa, Lils! Steady!" Lyra yelled, grabbing her. She glared at her cousin, who smirked back. "You alright?"

"I'm not a horse, Ly," Lily sighed. She looked at her best friend and smiled.

Lyra Potter is a beautiful girl, amazingly talented, and top of her class next to Lily, James, Remus, and Sirius. She had very short boyish hair (over the summer, she'd shaved it off after losing a bet) and the same hazel eyes as James. Back when she had thick glossy chestnut locks, she had wrecked havoc on all the boys' hearts, but had chosen Remus, the quietest one of the Marauders. The two have been inseparable ever since and Lily had to admit that they made a stunning couple: the tall sandy-haired boy with the blue eyes and the equally tall girl with large eyes and full pink lips and a temper as sharp as her tongue, but which she'd managed to cool when she and Remus started dating.

"Are you alright?" Remus asked, wrapping his arm around Lyra's waist.

"I'm fine." Lily gave him a quick smile and stared sadly after James's retreating back. Sirus Black, a good friend of Lily's, looked back at her and grinned. Peter Pettigrew, the fourth Marauder and also Lily's friend, beamed at her.

"Lils, if you want me to hex James, just say the word," Lyra said, pulling out her rosewood wand and eyeing James's back.

"No, don't," Lily said. "He'll just hex you right back."

Lyra sighed. "True." She pocketed her wand. "Say, Lily, do you still have that hair-growth potion? I've had about twenty people asking me if I was a boy and I'm sick of it!"

"Sorry, Ly, but I can try to grow your hair out myself. I think there was a charm somewhere…"

She, Lyra, Remus, and the rest of the Marauders settled down somewhere in the middle of the Gryffindor table and watched as ten first years were sorted into Gryffindor. As dinner was served, Lily and Lyra eagerly began discussing Potions class, their favorite, while the boys started talking about Quidditch. James was Captain of the Gryffindor Team and he was going to hold tryouts for a new Seeker.

"Honestly, Prongs, I don't think anyone here would be good enough for the job," Sirius said a little worriedly. "Half of them are twits and the rest of them just aren't good enough on a broom."

Lyra nodded, having overheard the conversation. "I know. Jeffrey Prichard once got on a broom and promptly flew into a wall. Bloke didn't even last five seconds." She cracked her knuckles, a habit of hers, and leaned into Remus's shoulder.

"Well, anyway, we're holding tryouts next week as soon as I can book the pitch. Sirius, Lyra, I expect you two to be there so try not to get detention." That last comment was mainly directed at his best mate, who laughed, the light flashing off his pearly whites.

Lyra leaned over to Lily again, who was quietly watching James. "Hey, why don't you try for the Seeker position?"

"Me?" Lily asked, astonished.

"Evans?" James asked, incredulous.

"Why not? You're decent on a broom," Remus said.

"Are you bloody kidding me? She's terrible!" James barked, glaring at Moony.

Lily bit her lip, her anger rising. "So what if I do?" she demanded, tossing back her flaming hair. "So what if I do decide to become your Seeker?"

James glowered at her. "I'll never choose you," he spat. "I'd choose Jeffrey Prichard over you."

A pang hit her heart, but she refused to let it show on her face. "Fine," she hissed. "I'm going to be the new Seeker, just you wait."

"Oh really? You don't even have a broom," he scoffed. "Forget it, Evans. You'll never make it on the team."

Lyra bolted up. "James Harold Potter," she shouted. "Lily will make it on the team—"

"Lyra Jessamine Potter," James mocked. "As your Quidditch Captain—"

"Is anything wrong?" Professor McGonagall said suspiciously, coming over.

"Nothing, Professor," Remus said hastily. "Just some family arguments, you know how it is." He tugged on Lyra's hand. "Come on, Ly, just sit down."

Lyra, fuming, plopped down and glared at her roast chicken. James sat as well and resolutely dug into his mashed potatoes. Professor McGonagall sniffed and went back to the teacher's table.

Lily sighed. "James's right, Ly," she said quietly. "I haven't been on a broom in a year and even if I had, I don't even have a broom."

"Don't worry, Lils," her best friend said confidently. "I've got it covered."

Lily looked at her doubtfully, but Lyra had resumed shoveling food into her mouth while looking attractive at the same time. "If you say so…"

"I do say so." Dessert rolled around and the girls helped themselves to ice cream and treacle tart.

"Don't eat that," James said to Lily. Something glinted in his eyes, as if he's trying to hold back laughter.

"Why?" she asked him, astonished.

"You'll look like a fat pig if you do. Oh wait, you already are one. Silly of me." James casually turned back to his own treacle tart.

Lily's eyes welled up with tears. Lyra snarled and whipped out her wand again, but Remus held her back. "James," he said seriously. "Apologize."

"Now why should I?" He lounged back.

"Prongs… even I have to admit that's a little harsh to say of Lilykins," Sirius said slowly.

"No. Don't bother." Lily took a breath and stood. "I… I'll see you later, Ly."

"Lily, no. Ignore him. He didn't mean it," Lyra begged. Her eyes flashed greenish-gold and stared beseechingly into Lily's own emerald eyes.

Sirius stood and pushed Lily back down. "Don't worry, Lilyflower," he whispered.

Lyra immediately began to load up Lily's plate. "James's just being nasty like usual. He's a sodding idiot. Ignore him."

But the redhead looked sadly at her and whispered, "Am I really fat?"

"You? Fat? Lily, you're the skinniest girl I've ever seen!"

"Not quite," Remus said, a smile twitching on his lips. "Some of the girls here are pretty thin."

Lyra sniffed. "And I assume you prefer them to me?"

"What? Ly, no! That's not what I meant! Ly? Ly, are you listening to me? Ly?!"

Lily cracked a grin and her eyes went to James, who was talking with Sirius and Peter about something. No doubt they were planning a prank. She let out a tiny sigh and turned back to dinner, thinking about James and Quidditch tryouts.

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That night, Lily followed James as they went up to the Heads dorm. Stopping before a portrait of the four founders, James said, "Quidditch." The portrait slid open and James stepped in without a backwards glance.

Lily rolled her eyes. Of course James would choose Quidditch for a password. She stepped in as well and found herself in a cozy common room. There were armchairs and a sofa as well as a window seat. Two desks sat on opposite sides of the room, each filled with quills and spare parchment and inkwells. Two doors lead off the common room; the left had the words 'Head Girl' stamped on it while the right said 'Head Boy'.

James was nowhere to be seen and she assumed he was already in his bedroom. Lily opened the door to hers and found it quite similar and yet different than her old dorm in Gryffindor Tower. There was a four poster bed, a wardrobe, a small vanity, a nightstand, and a window with a window seat. Her trunk sat at the foot of the bed.

Lily opened a door and found a small bathroom, though she knew she could use the Prefect's bathroom if she wanted. With nothing else to do, she unpacked, changed her clothes, brushed her teeth, and fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

**As of this moment, I really don't know what to write, so I'm just kind of focusing on building up to the first Quidditch match of the season, which will probably be in chapter 10 or 11. Maybe. I don't know.**

**So far, what do you guys think? Review, please, and let me know your thoughts.**

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**Chapter 3**

Breakfast was a quiet affair, as Lily, Lyra, and Alice Prewett tended to wake up earlier than most. Currently, it was 7:15 in the morning and Lily and Alice were chatting about Frank Longbottom, who had started going out with Alice since sixth year, while Lyra browsed through a copy of _Which Broomstick?_

"Lily, come take a look at this." Lyra flipped the magazine over and pointed at one of the models. "A Silver Arrow! It's just like the one James has!"

Lily sighed. "Ly, I don't know if I should even try out."

"Nonsense. You already told him you were going to and backing away will make it seem like you're a coward. Besides, this is a magnificent broom." Lyra turned the magazine back towards her and mused for a bit. "It's 10,000 Galleons."

"10,000 Galleons!" Lily shrieked, causing many early risers to glare at her. "Sorry! 10,000 Galleons?" she hissed. "I don't have the money for that!"

Lyra smirked at her. "Oh that's alright. Consider this an early Christmas present from me." With that, she flipped a couple of pages and began to fill out the attached order form.

Lily paled. "Lyra, please. This is too much. I'm not even a good flyer!"

"It's ok, Lil," Lyra said airily, not even looking up from the magazine. "My family's got loads of gold and I'll teach you how to fly."

"Lyra!"

"Lyra?" It was Remus. He sat down next to them and kissed Lyra's cheek. "What's she done now?"

Pretending to be offended, Lyra pushed him away. "Why is it you always think I always do something wrong?"

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" Remus exclaimed, panicked. When he saw that his girlfriend and her best friends were laughing at him, he rolled his eyes. "Ha ha. No, really, what've you done now?"

"She bought me a broom," Lily said glumly.

Remus's eyebrows rose. "I didn't think you were serious on becoming the Gryffindor Seeker." Seeing Lyra opening her mouth, he added, "Not another Sirius joke, please!"

Lyra pouted, but a pleased smile spread over her face. "You know me so well, Remus." She leaned in and kissed him for a long moment.

"Ahem, virgin eyes here," Lily said.

"What virgin eyes?" Alice scoffed. "You've watched them snog before."

Lyra rolled her eyes and pulled away. "Anyway, Lily, you're going get a new broom, you're going to train with me every night until tryouts, and you're going to be the new Gryffindor Seeker. Understand?"

Lily looked at her wearily. "And what is all this for?"

The girl grinned, hazel eyes glinting like James's does when he was planning something mischievous. "To win over my cousin."

Alice snorted. "Lyra, I don't think that will work. Besides, how can you be sure that James is going to choose Lily?"

"I don't. But I'll do whatever I must to make sure she gets on the team. And from there…" She sighed happily. "I can already imagine romantic midnight rides under the full—" Lyra abruptly stopped and stared guiltily at Remus, who kissed her. "It's alright, love," he said gently, blue eyes staring adoringly at her face.

Lily sighed, jealousy coursing through her. She wished she could have something like this with James. But no, he was different now. So different than that little boy from so long ago—

Something wet and icy splashed all over her. Lily gasped and wiped her face, her hair streaming and her robes sopping wet. She looked behind her to see James standing there, a nasty smile on his face as he held an empty pitcher. "Whoops, didn't see you there." He set the pitcher on the table and sauntered away towards a group of his fangirls, who screamed and eagerly pulled him down to sit.

Lyra bolted upright, about to give James and piece of her mind, but Lily shook her head and dried herself with a spell. "It's alright. You know how he always does this."

"He does, but this is wrong, Lily," Remus said quietly. "After all that happened." He smiled. "But I'm proud that you've been resolute all this time."

Lily fell quiet. After a few minutes, she exhaled. "Sometimes… and Lyra knows this, but I've thought about moving on. But then I remember what happened and I fall in love with him all over again. I was too young to truly fall in love, but I did and it's hurting me." A fine film of tears covered her eyes. "He doesn't even remember me." She sniffled and wiped her nose with a napkin. "Remus, do you think I should continue to hold on to him?"

Moony was quiet for a long, long time. "Lily," he said gently. "You've held on for six years of him constantly torturing you. That, in itself, is an act of true love. But you're only human. Sometimes… you need a break."

"Are you telling me to move on?" Lily looked at Lyra and Alice, who were quiet.

"Yes, and no," Remus admitted. "James is a dumb bloke and I don't think you can take much more. But truly, I think you should give him one last chance. This last year. If nothing changes, then you should move in." He looked at James. "He doesn't deserve a girl like you, Lily Evans, not the way he is right now. But something tells me to try one last time." He gave her a half-smile. "Perhaps this year, everything will change."

"But Lily, this is your own decision," Alice said. "If you feel like you're ready to move on, then move on. Personally, I think you should have one last go at him." She gave a timid smile. "He's never had a girlfriend, remember?"

Lyra reached forward and took Lily's hands, her long chestnut brown hair (Lily had grown it out last night with a hair-growth charm) swinging forward. "Lily, you know my answer," she said solemnly. "I've always supported you and James and I will continue to do so even if you decide to move on."

Lily giggled a little at her three friends. "Well, you three gave your votes. I just need two more."

"Two more what?"

Sirius and Peter sat down next to Remus and began reaching for the nearest platters. "What are we talking about?"

"Whether or not I should move on from James."

Immediately, Sirius spewed out his pumpkin juice. Thankfully, Lily dodged the spray, but an unlucky Ravenclaw first year walking by didn't. "Sorry, mate! LILY, don't you dare do anything of the sort!" Sirius gasped out. "I'm serious!"

"Yes, I know you're Sirius," Lily said mildly. She turned to Peter, who was gaping at her. "Peter?" she asked.

"Lily, do you even want to move on?" Peter asked, a little nervously. "Because… much as I hoped James would get his head out of his arse and see what an amazing girl you are, I do think that you should give it up." He ducked his head, cheeks flushing as everyone else in the group roared at him in outrage.

"Enough!" Lily exclaimed. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, you know."

"Yeah, but it's 4 to 1," Alice said. "Peter, you're outnumbered." Seeing Frank, she jumped up with a quick, "See you in class!" and leapt into his arms.

James finally wandered over, his hair even more tousled than ever and his robes were slightly rumpled. There was a slight lipstick mark on his collar. Lily's stomach turned over and she looked away, fighting the stabbing pain in her chest.

Sirius grinned at him. "Been getting lucky with the ladies again, I see." He shot a guilty look at Lily.

Lyra rolled her eyes and stood. "Come on, Lily. We have class." She kissed her boyfriend goodbye and stalked away, Lily at her heels.

James looked at his cousin. "What's got her knickers in a twist?"

Remus snorted and stood as well, stuffing a last strip of bacon in his mouth. "Nothing much." He strode down the Great Hall, heading to Transfiguration as the girls went to Ancient Runes.

Sirius shook his head as well. "Come on, mate. Let's go charm the pants off Flitwick, shall we?" He grinned. "Literally."

Peter laughed and stood as well, following James and Sirius as they strolled out.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hope you like that I'm typing out chapters so fast. Anyway, Rome is a bridge of sorts. She's kinda like a tool of mine, but I don't like to put her that way. I made her perceptive to help with the story.**

**Hope you like her and this chapter! Review!**

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**Chapter 4**

The first two days of class passed without much incident, except for the fact that James and Sirius had blown up a cauldron in Potions class for fun. Lily had had to resist smiling at their antics and covered it up by shrieking at the two of them and taking away points.

"Lighten up, Evans," James said coolly, turning away from her. Lily watched him and sighed, turning away as well.

She and Lyra went down to lunch, noticing that the magical ceiling was thick with clouds. "Looks like we're in for a bad thunderstorm tonight," Lily sighed.

"Bugger. And I have Herbology last thing." Lyra paused. "And it's a full moon tonight as well."

The two glanced around, making sure nobody overheard them. Lyra and Lily both know about Remus's "furry little problem" and know as well that Sirius, James, and Peter are illegal Animagi.

"They'll be fine," Lily whispered. "Besides, the rain will hide them better."

"I'm more worried about Remus hurting himself," Lyra whispered back. "You remember last year, he came back covered with scratches."

"James and Sirius will keep him in check." Lily stopped talking as three owls appeared, bearing a long , thin package between them. They slowed and dropped the package into Lyra's lap, who cheered with joy. "What's that?" Lily asked.

"Your new broom," Lyra said, grinning cheekily. She finished her food and stood. "I'll go put this in my dormitory before class. You go on ahead to Defense." But she hasn't gone much before Professor Dumbledore appeared in front of Lily, a girl about Lily's age by his side.

"Miss Evans, Miss Potter," he greeted, blue eyes twinkling.

"Hello, sir," Lily replied respectfully. Lyra nodded, a grin on her face.

"This is Rome Hutchins, a transfer student from America," he said, gesturing to the girl. "As Head Girl, I will be leaving her in your care. She will be attending the same classes as you do and I would like you to show her around the castle and let her be acquainted with the students."

"Yes, sir," Lily said. As Dumbledore left, she turned to the girl, Rome. "So what's your house?"

"Gryffindor," Rome said, her accent distorting the word strangely. "Rome Hutchins," she said, holding out her hand.

"Lily Evans. This is Lyra Potter, my best friend." Lyra nodded again and shook Rome's proffered hand.

A whistle sounded and Sirius Black appeared with James, Remus, and Peter. "My, my, who is this beauty?" Rome blushed at his words.

Lily had to admit that Rome was very pretty; beautiful even. She had long slightly wavy wheat blonde hair and big baby blue eyes with fair skin and large full lips that were a healthy pink color. She saw that her eyes lingered on James a little and her hand clenched into a fist.

"Rome Hutchins. I'm a transfer student from America," Rome said to Sirius. "And who're you?"

"Sirius Black, Marauder and notorious womanizer," Lyra said. She spoke over Sirius's indignant sputtering. "This is my boyfriend, Remus Lupin, also a Marauder, Peter Pettigrew, yet another Marauder, and James Potter, my cousin and…another Marauder."

"Marauder?" Rome asked and it was James who replied.

"We're a group of… mischief makers, here to bring laughs to Hogwarts and humiliation to all who stand in our way." His eyes twinkled when they looked at Rome and Lily's heart sank.

"I see…" Rome fell quiet, looking at them all. "You're more than you say. You're all very close friends, aren't you?"

They were all startled. "You're very perceptive," Remus noted.

Rome shrugged. "It's a talent of mine. Mom says that she couldn't ever hide a secret from me and it's something I'm really proud of." She grinned at the Marauders, her eyes settling on James again. Lily surreptitiously clenched her teeth.

"You have an interesting name," she said, to draw Rome's attention away from James.

"Thanks. Mom went to Italy once and fell in love with the city, Rome. She had me a year later and named me after the darn place." Rome shrugged.

"Well, it's a lovely name," James said. Lily bit her lip.

Rome glanced at Lily, then at James, and back to Lily again. Lily guessed she was using her powers of perception again. "Um, thanks." She drew back and turned to Lily and Lyra. "So didn't you say you were going to show me around?"

"Er, yeah. I'll see you boys later?" Sirius grinned and she noticed that his eyes were lingering on Rome as well. Lily smiled with amusement, but her smile dropped when she noticed James was still looking at Rome. Remus was preoccupied with Lyra and Peter was more interested in the food.

"Yeah, see you, Lils," Sirius said, sitting down. Lyra kissed Remus and left, still carrying Lily's new broom.

Once they were out of the Great Hall, heading upstairs, Rome turned to Lily. "You like James," she stated.

Lily bit her lip and nodded. "But he doesn't like me back. He… hates me," she said, eyes dropping.

"I couldn't tell about that, though. But seriously, he's hot," Rome giggled, pretending to fan herself.

"And off limits," Lyra said, the look in her eyes holding unspoken threats.

"Girl, I know that already." Rome smiled at Lily. "Lily's already in love with him so I shouldn't."

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Rome."

"No problem, that Sirius Black is more my taste anyway. He looks even more delicious than James." Rome laughed. "So… how about that tour?"

As Lily and Lyra led Rome around the castle, answering all her questions, Lily found herself rather enjoying the American's company. She was bubbly and fun to talk to and wasn't afraid to speak her thoughts, much like Lyra, although Rome was a bit of a slacker, unlike Lyra.

When they finally got down to the Quidditch Pitch, Lyra began unwrapping Lily's new broom. "Ooh, that's gorgeous," Rome said, looking appreciatively at the Silver Arrow. "I've got a broom of my own. It's an American model called Black Hawk and I love it so much. Is it yours, Lyra?"

"This one? Nah, I've got my own Moontrimmer. This is Lily's." Lyra grinned at Rome, humor glinting in her eyes. "I'm trying to get her and my cousin together through Quidditch by making her the new Gryffindor Seeker."

"Which will never happen," Lily interjected.

Rome laughed and clapped her hands. "That is an awesome idea! Great thinking, Lyra!"

"Call me Ly," Lyra said, beaming. "That's what my friends call me."

That was when two very familiar figures swooped into the pitch, followed by two others on foot.

Sirius whooped as he flew over the girls, causing them to duck. Rome laughed, however, and Sirius winked, stopping next to her. "Would you like to ride?"

"I'd rather ride by myself, but thanks for the offer, handsome." Rome winked and pulled a miniature broom out of her pocket, tapped it with her wand, and it grew to a full-sized broom made of ebony. She hopped on and zoomed into the sky.

Sirius whistled appreciatively. "I've always liked a girl who can fly." He flew after her.

James swooped down and hovered next to Lyra. "You got a new broom? I thought you still liked that Moontrimmer."

Lyra shook her head. "This is Lily's." She smiled defiantly at her cousin. "I'm going to make sure she's our new Seeker."

James looked at Lily. "I don't think she even knows how to fly."

"Oh, she does." Lyra shot a quick look at Lily.

"Really?" James flew higher and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, come on Evans. I don't have all day."

Rome and Sirius came back, curious as to why James was taking so long. Remus and Peter had approached them as well, Remus carrying Lyra's broom, which she accepted with a grateful smile.

Gulping, Lily swung a leg over the broom, trying to dredge up memories of her flying lessons in first year. Taking hints from Sirius and Rome, who were silently giving her pointers, she steadied her breath and kicked up.

The broom rose and she let out a startled gasp as she slowly floated to James's level. He arched an eyebrow at her again and Lily noticed Rome drifting a little to the side so she could examine him. "Hm," he droned. "You know what, Evans. Let's see you do a lap or two around the pitch. If you can make it without falling, I'll consider letting you come to tryouts."

Lily clenched her teeth and Lyra joined her in the air. "James, stop it," she said sternly. "Lily hasn't been on a broom in forever. She won't fly that well."

"Then she shouldn't even consider being Seeker. Seekers have to have good reflexes and they need to be quick. If she can't even fly a lap, how can she dodge Bludgers or dive to catch the Snitch?"

Lyra glared at him. "Fine. Lily will do it, but I want an honest pledge that you won't try to sabotage her in any way."

James smirked. "You know better than to take the word of a Marauder."

But Lyra didn't budge. "Then I want you to swear on your honor as a Quidditch Captain and as the heir of the Potter family."

Sirius's brows rose. Lily, wobbling slightly, glanced at Lyra. "Ly, you don't have to."

James was glaring darkly at his cousin. "Fine. I swear on my honor as Quidditch Captain and as heir of the Potter family."

Rome looked confused and she whispered to Sirius, "Why is that so important?"

"Well, the Quidditch Captain part—"

"No, no I mean about the Potter family thing."

"James and Lyra are from a very prestigious Pureblood family. Some say they're even descended from Godric Gryffindor himself. To be a Potter means to be a respected member of Pureblood society and it means everything to his reputation. The Pureblood thing doesn't matter a lot to James, but being heir to the Potter family is everything to him."

Lyra looked slightly triumphant. She flew to Lily's side. "Don't forget to lean forward to move, tilt which way you want to go, and diving, you lean forward a bit." She gave Lily a sympathetic smile. "I'll be close by in case you fall."

James swerved forward and stopped in front of Lily. "Go up, Evans." He tilted his broom up and raced till he was fifty feet above the ground. "Well?" he demanded. "Come on!"

"You can do it!" Rome whispered. Lily nodded, gulping again, and timidly soared up to James's level.

"That took you forever," he snorted. He pointed. "One lap around the pitch and make it fast. And I mean fast." Lily looked into his eyes, now a dark brown, and nodded. A part of her, the angry, rebellious side of her that had been telling her to move on from James, shrieked that she was being ridiculous and that James Potter wasn't worth a broken neck.

"He's worth it," she whispered out loud. Not a broken neck, but still… he was worth it.

"What?" James demanded.

"Nothing," she said hastily.

"Then hurry up." He stopped Lyra from accompanying her. "She has to do this herself."

Rome flew up. "Well, you're not stopping me." She went higher, watching out for Lily, who had taken a deep breath and brought the broom forward in a slow crawl.

"Faster!" James bellowed. Lily leaned and the broom picked up speed. Her hair was gently blowing from her face. "My grandmother can ride faster than you! Hurry up!"

Taking a breath, she leaned again and her broom sped off.

Screaming internally as she reached the end of the pitch, she heard Rome yelling at her to turn left. Leaning, Lily barely brushed past the goalposts and leveled out again as she flew straight.

"Turn again!" Rome screamed. Lily followed her instructions and saw that she was coming close to James. "Lean back! Gently!"

She did and coasted to a gentle stop next to James, who was staring at her with an unfathomable expression. Panting, she looked at him. "How did I do?"

"You were brilliant!" Lyra squealed. "You went so fast and that turn was amazing!"

"Not bad, but with a little work, you'll do fine." Sirius winked at her. "Good job, Lilykins."

"You're not allowed on the pitch during tryouts," James said flatly. "Now get out of here, Evans." He turned and sped off.

Openmouthed, Lily watched as Sirius, his face angry, fly after him. "B-But…"

"Oh, he is going to pay for this!" Lyra snarled.

"Ly, please don't do something rash."

"Rash! He just blew your chances!"

Lily looked down. "I know, but it's his decision and we have to respect that."

"Lily." Rome had drifted lower. "I, uh, well, I was examining him and I thought you should know this."

"Spill already!" Lyra said.

Rome bit her lip. "James feels a lot of anger towards you for some reason, but at the same time… Look, it was a little bit so I'm not completely sure, but I thought I saw that he was very confused as well."

Lyra snorted. "My cousin is a confused person. This is nothing new."

"Not that! I meant that he's angry, but he seems to be confused as to _why_ he's angry. I think." Rome sighed and ran a hand through her hair, turning her eyes to Lily. "There's… a history between the two of you, isn't there?"

Feeling slightly unnerved by how Rome managed to see this after spending only half a day with her, Lily nodded. "But… I can't tell you yet."

"I understand." She smiled kindly at Lily.

Lyra sighed loudly, glaring at James. "But it doesn't change that James won't let Lily become Seeker."

"I don't even think I'm cut out to be Seeker," Lily said softly.

"Nonsense. With me and Sirius teaching you, you'll be the star of the team."

"And me," Rome said. "I want to help too."

Lyra nodded. "Now come on, it looks like it's going to rain."

As the first of the fat droplets began to rain down, the girls shrieked and flew back to Hogwarts, Lily slightly behind them. Sirius and James flanked her after letting Peter and Remus hitch a ride and landed in the Entrance Hall.

Unfortunately they were caught.

"Mr. Potter! Miss Evans!" McGonagall bellowed. "Completely unprofessional behavior! Never in all my years…," she spluttered.

Lily bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Professor. We were just showing Rome how to play Quidditch." Rome nodded in affirmation. The rest of them gaped at Lily. Lily Evans has never lied to a teacher before.

"Hmph," McGonagall sniffed. "Well, then thirty points from Gryffindor and I would like for you all to put those brooms away before dinner." With a final sniff, she turned and disappeared into the Great Hall.

"Lily!" Sirius gasped, pretending to be scandalized. "Lily Evans, lying to a teacher?"

Lily blushed and looked down. Lyra laughed. "Come on, I'm starving."

They laughed and shrunk the brooms before heading in, but not before Lily noticed James giving Rome an appraising look.


	5. Chapter 5

**I think I rushed this chapter a bit and I know the entire story is not very good so far, but I'm trying my best! I'm not a professional writer and I know I have a lot of grammar mistakes, but I hope you guys are liking this story so far!**

**I'm trying to make Rome more different than Lyra since both their personalities are getting a little too similar at the moment, but I'm not sure. If you guys can give me some pointers, that'll be awesome!**

**I know the humor isn't funny at all, but humor doesn't come naturally to me, which is why I'm more used to writing tragedies and stuff, but I'm trying my hardest!**

**I know I totally rushed Lily's training, but hopefully I made up for it with the tryouts. I know this is probably isn't how it goes, but I think it's a little legit. Well... as far as I'm concerned.**

**One last thing, I know Sirius and the rest of them might have been sounding more American than British, but I'm an American person and the only British I know is from reading Harry Potter and the fanfictions so I'm sorry if they sound... American I guess. It works for Rome, but it just rubs the the wrong way a bit when I'm trying to think of dialogue for Sirius and Lily and Lyra. **

**Anyhoo, don't forget to review your opinions to my concerns and this chapter! Thanks so much!**

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Rome, it's the lacewing flies, not the salamander blood," Lily whispered.

"Oops! Sorry!" Rome hissed back. She dropped the flies and poured in the salamander blood. "Seriously, I've always sucked at Potions."

Lyra leaned in, hissing, "Rome, James is looking at you again." She sounded disgruntled and Lily couldn't blame her, since she felt the same way.

Rome sighed. "Ly, you're the cousin; how do I tell him I'm not interested?"

"You can't," Lyra said reluctantly. "Once James sets his mind to something, he's not easily dissuaded." She groaned. "But honestly, he's been staring at you for three days now! This is ridiculous!"

Lily looked down, staring at her own cauldron. She sighed through her nose and tossed in dill weed and half a scarab beetle. The Potion frothed and turned beige.

"Oh very good, Miss Evans!" Slughorn boomed jovially. "Ten points to Gryffindor!"

"Thank you, Professor," Lily said, smiling politely.

"But Miss Potter and Miss Hutchins," Slughorn continued, frowning at Lyra's tar black potion and Rome's lavender one. "Not quite up to Miss Evans' standards, I'm afraid."

"Sir, nobody is up to Lily's standards," Lyra said. Lily blushed and smacked her in the shoulder.

Slughorn chuckled. "Quite right, Miss Potter. Oh, and armadillo bile should do the trick." He nodded as Lyra poured in some and it immediately turned the same color as Lily's potion. "Full marks to the two of you."

Rome rolled her eyes. "What a kiss-up."

"He's putty in Lily's hands." Lyra corked her potion-filled vial and sent it to Slughorn's desk with a flourish of her wand. "Always blathering on about how talented she is in Potions."

"Ly!" Lily protested, still blushing.

Rome laughed, her hair falling out of the twist on the back of her neck and spilling down her robes. Lily couldn't help but think that she looked gorgeous.

"Hey, Rome." It was James.

"Hi, James," Rome said, looking up at him with a friendly smile.

"Er, would you like to go to Hogsmeade with me? There's a trip week after next." James smiled bashfully down at her. Lily was stunned; James had never been bashful with any girl before.

"Mm, I'll think about it," Rome replied. James nodded, avoided Lily's eyes and Lyra's angry glare, and went back to Sirius, who smirked at him, but gave Lily a sympathetic look. "I am not going," Rome muttered, stirring her potion.

"It's alright if you do," Lily said softly. "I think… I think he fancies you."

"Fancy?"

"Er, you Americans use like, I think," Lyra translated.

"Oh." Rome looked down then looked at Lily with guilt in her eyes. "I feel that if I go with him, I'll be betraying you in a way."

"Don't be silly," Lily said. "If you make James happy, then…I'm alright with that."

But a novice liar cannot deceive one such as Rome Hutchins.

"You wish you're the one making him happy and I understand that. Seeing him happy with me would kill you inside," Rome said quietly.

Lyra spoke up, her eyes thoughtful. "Rome, d'you think… James might be hiding his feelings? Like he could be secretly in love with Lily, but he pretends to hate her?"

Lily sighed. "That's impossible."

Rome shook her head. "I don't know, but if you want me to look into it, I can. I just need Lily to talk with him more, see how he's like around her." She giggled. "I feel like a love detective or something."

Lyra choked at the term and Lily started laughing as well. Fortunately, they managed to quell their giggles before Slughorn took notice. "Love detective," Lyra whispered, grinning.

The bell rang and the three girls left, snorting uncontrollably.

* * *

That night after dinner, the three of them snuck down to the Quidditch pitch, carrying their brooms. Lily raised her wand and placed a Disillusionment Charm over the entire pitch.

"Right," Lyra said, mounting her broom. "Sirius has already changed James's mind about letting you come for tryouts, but you still need to impress him with your skills before he lets you on the team. That's why, I, as a Gryffindor Chaser, have enlisted the help of Rome Hutchins to teach you how to fly."

Lily rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless and Lyra's mock seriousness. "Thank you, O Great Quidditch Chaser," she mocked. "And the American wench over there."

"Hey!" Rome squeaked indignantly, but joined in the laughter.

"Okay, let's start." Lyra began instructing Lily how to properly mount her broom while Rome amused herself for a while by flying around the pitch. When she finally deemed Lily ready, she nodded and Lily kicked off.

"It's easier now that I've flown a bit," Lily admitted.

"You were fast, but it isn't as fast as on the pitch. As Seeker, you'll need to dive, swerve, weave, and race. All of that requires speed and reflexes." Lyra gestured at Rome, who was looping and weaving around the goalposts. "So start flying and get used to going fast."

A week passed. Rome and Lyra were excellent teachers and Lily was a fast learner. By the end of the week, she could do several simple dives and rolls and could accelerate to her Silver Arrow's full speed without shrieking or falling off.

Thankfully, Lily hadn't scheduled herself any patrols for the first week so she had time, but she knew she needed to start soon. The thought of patrolling with James, alone at night…

"You're blushing again," Lyra said as they walked down to the pitch. Rome was behind them, chatting with Sirius, who was carrying a sack.

"I was thinking of patrols with James," Lily admitted quietly.

Lyra nodded thoughtfully. "It would be a good opportunity for the two of you to snog in a broom closet."

"Lyra!" Lily shouted, embarrassed.

"What?" Lyra asked, a grin on her face. "I swear, sometimes the sexual tension between you and James is so tangible—"

"What sexual tension?" Sirius snorted.

"Exactly," Lily said, though her eyes dropped a little with disappointment.

They arrived at the pitch and mounted their brooms. From within the sack, Sirius pulled out handfuls of golf balls and four bags. "These are about the size of a Snitch. We're going to throw these and you're going to catch them. Try not to miss any."

Lily swallowed and nodded. Rome, Sirius, and Lyra divided the amount of golf balls amongst themselves and flew to different angles around Lily, who hovered in the middle, her eyes darting every which way.

A golf ball soared past her ear from the right and she twisted and caught it, dropping it into the bag tied to her broom. Another dropped from below and she dived and caught it. Almost simultaneously, another soared up to the sky and she had to race up to catch it.

The exercise continued for an hour. By the end, Sirius counted the number of golf balls Lily caught to the amount she missed. "Not bad, Lilykins. You just might make the team."

"How many did I catch?" she panted.

"Thirty-three out of fifty," Rome replied, a smile on her face.

Lyra looped her arm around Lily's shoulders. "During the tryouts, James is going to be using the real Snitch and he's going to time how long you take to catch it as well as seeing how well your techniques are. The team is going to be doing their best to get in your away a lot, since it could happen in a real game, so you have to be careful of them too."

Lily looked at them doubtfully. "Now I really don't think I will make the team."

"Don't lose hope, Lils," Sirius said. He shot her a broad smile. "I'll go a bit easy on you if you'd like."

They laughed and walked back up to the castle.

* * *

The day of the Seeker tryouts, Lily nervously walked down to the pitch with the rest of the hopefuls, the only other seventh year in a bunch of fifths, fourths, thirds, and seconds. The other seventh year is a boy named Dylan Bowen, who kept flirting with Lily all the way down to the pitch.

They found the Gryffindor Quidditch Team, minus a Seeker, standing in a row on the pitch. Sirius and Lyra, who were standing next to James, gave Lily an encouraging smile, which she shakily returned.

James scanned the small crowd in front of him and spoke, "If you're all here, we'll begin immediately." He waved his wand and a stack of brooms appeared. Several were school brooms, but there were also personal brooms as well. Lily saw hers in the pile. "Get a broom."

The younger ones scrambled for the brooms, but Lily and several of the older students took out their wands and Summoned their brooms to their side. Lily saw James' eyes flick to her as her broom flew into her hand and colored slightly under his scrutinizing gaze.

Once they were all equipped, James held up a little golden ball. "This is the Snitch. Your goal today is to get it as fast as you can while maneuvering around my team, who will be doing their best to prevent you from catching the Snitch."

Whispers erupted around Lily, but only she and Dylan Bowen were unfazed, much to Lily's confusion. She chanced a look at Dylan. As far as she knew, she wasn't close friends with anyone on the Quidditch team. As far as she knew, he wasn't interested in Quidditch at all.

She glanced between Dylan and James. Could it be—

"Alright! Second years first!"

The tryouts dragged on. Most couldn't catch the Snitch at all after thirty minutes, mostly since they were stuck trying to get through the team. Sirius in particular seemed to enjoy knocking the younger ones off their brooms. James had to perform a Cushioning Charm more than once over the course of the entire day.

Finally, it was time for the seventh years. Dylan winked at Lily. "A kiss for luck, perhaps?"

Lily rolled her eyes and ignored him. Dylan chuckled and strolled forward, mounted his broom, and kicked off.

They all found out within five seconds that Dylan was horrible at Quidditch. Indeed, he hasn't managed to stay on his broom at all. Humiliated and red in the face, he stomped away from James' Cushioning Charm and refused to look at Lily in the face for the rest of the day.

James, clenching his jaw, beckoned stiffly to Lily, the last to try out. The rest of the team halted to watch her, unlike what they did for the rest of the hopefuls.

Lily swallowed and stood. As she did, a voice piped up from the stands. "Good luck, Lily!"

She turned to see Rome, Remus, Peter, Alice, and Frank all giving her thumbs up, broad grins on their faces. Smiling back and filled with renewed hope, Lily mounted her broom and soared into the air.

This time, James joined the rest of the team. His stopwatch hanging around his neck, he faced her and looked at her square in the face, eyes dark and unfriendly. "Begin."

Immediately, Lily doubled back in a loop, soaring underneath the team towards the other side of the pitch, giving her time to look for the Snitch for a few quick seconds. She caught a flash of gold high in the sky and raced up to investigate.

Eric Brown, the Gryffindor Keeper, blocked Lily's way and she swerved around him, but lost sight of the Snitch. Right as she dodged around him, she saw Lyra and Sirus racing towards her from two sides. At the last moment, she dived and soared to an empty space away from the huddle. Looking back, she saw that her two friends had collided rather painfully and winced in apology.

Jane Finnigan, the other Beater, swooped at Lily, trying to knock her off the broom while she was distracted, but Lily managed to dodge her in time. Eric came in for another pass at her and this time, he was accompanied by Wilson Clark, the last Chaser.

Lily burst off to the skies and arced down to hover by the hoops. "Oi! I'm the Keeper of the team!" Eric called to her playfully.

But Lily wasn't listening. She had spotted the Snitch hovering in the middle of the pitch. Pointing her broom down, she dived.

Suddenly, someone swooped in front of her. She shrieked with surprise and braked violently, brushing her hair out of her eyes, she gaped with astonishment.

It was James. His hazel eyes were dark brown, as they always were around her, and she could feel herself starting to get lost in its depths.

With a jolt, Lily pulled herself out of her trance. Twirling through the air, she twisted away and dived for the Snitch. It tried to dart away, but she, straining forward, managed to grasp hold of the tiny ball and held it triumphantly in the air.

Lyra screamed and raced forward to hug Lily. Thankfully, they didn't fall, but Lily swayed violently on her broom nonetheless.

"Prongs! What's Lily's time?!" Sirius bellowed.

Slowly, reluctantly, James reached for the stopwatch— which automatically stopped as soon as Lily grabbed the Snitch— and read aloud the time.

"Twelve minutes and fifty-eight seconds, fastest yet."

Lyra cheered again. "Did she make it? She was good, right? James?" Her eyes shone with excitement.

James exhaled through his nose, looked at Lyra, Sirius, the rest of the team, and finally at Lily herself. He closed his eyes as if in defeat.

"You're in."


	6. Chapter 6

**Too short and probably a little too early for this to happen, but I'm just using fillers right now. A hopefully cute and somewhat cliché filler, but a filler. Everything's sort of in bits and pieces right now so I'm not exactly sure what will happen next. But... I think I have an idea...**

**Review please! :D **

* * *

**Chapter 6**

It was hard not to feel elated the next day. Lily, Lyra, and Rome kept sneaking triumphant looks at one another throughout class and even Lily, the responsible Head Girl, was finding it hard to pay attention in class.

James, on the other hand, looked completely disheartened. Sirius and Remus tried cheering him up, but nothing seemed to be working. Lyra and Rome both went to ask why he was acting that way.

"He's just being a prat," Lyra said to Lily. "He's sulking because you got on the team."

Lily bit her lip, looking worried, but Rome affectionately nudged her. "Just cause James doesn't want you on the team doesn't mean you should give up. Just use this opportunity to prove that you deserve to play."

"The only reason why I tried out in the first place was because of her." Lily pointed a thumb at Lyra.

"And James," Lyra said cheekily.

Lily merely rolled her eyes. "You know, I thought James had brought Dylan Bowen there as competition."

"That's rubbish," Lyra snorted. "He just wanted to show off. Everybody knows he's fancied you for ages."

Lily's mouth dropped. "You're joking!"

Rome shook her head. "I sat next to him in Transfiguration once. He kept on asking me stuff like what flowers you liked and what your favorite color is and I told him to shut up. Then I hexed him so he would have a nasty itch… where it's not very comfortable."

Lyra chuckled. "I knew there was a reason why we kept you around."

The three of them laughed and went down to the dungeons for class.

* * *

"I know it is a bit early in the year, but since NEWTS are coming up, I want to start with some of the harder potions!" Slughorn exclaimed, eyes twinkling. "And the potion we will be brewing today…" He paused dramatically. "Amortentia!"

Lily groaned quietly and refused to look at James. Lyra and Rome, however, shot her devilish grins.

"You may begin!"

An hour and a half later, the room was filled with spiraling steam. Lily leaned back from her completed potion and looked around. Lyra had finished hers and had a euphoric look on her face. Rome looked thoughtful as she stared at her potion.

"What do you smell?" Lily asked her.

Rome frowned slightly. "I smell…" She breathed in and closed her eyes. "Mom's perfume, the sky, and…" She blushed and didn't say anymore.

"What?" Lily prodded.

The American glanced around before leaning in and whispering, "Sirius's cologne."

Lily's mouth dropped open. "You're in love with Sirius?!" she whisper-shouted.

"Shh!" Rome shushed her frantically. She looked back at the dark-haired Marauder, who was laughing at something with James. "It's just… he's so handsome and so kind and he makes me laugh… I've never felt this way with any boy back in America." She looked slyly at Lily. "But enough about me; what do you smell?"

Lily frowned, but leaned forward and breathed. A barrage of scents hit her nose and she sighed deeply. "Hogwarts grounds," she said slowly, her eyes closed. "Mum's apple-cinnamon pie, and…" She opened her eyes and they glimmered with the sheen of tears. "James." She sniffled and wiped her nose. "He has this… woodsy scent like the forest, but at the same time he smells like the wind on a December morning."

Rome put a sympathetic hand on her shoulder, but didn't say anything. Lily sniffled again and turned to her. "It's so frustrating, Rome," she complained. "It's too complicated between us."

Lyra, who had snapped out of her trance, wrapped her arm around her redheaded best friend. "Lily," she whispered. "Maybe you should tell Rome what happened."

"Do you think it'll help?" Lily asked her.

Her friend nodded and looked Rome straight in the eye. "If we tell you, will you promise to keep it a secret?"

Rome nodded solemnly. "I promise."

Lily bit her lip. "I'm not sure..."

"Take your time," Rome said. "I don't mind waiting."

Lily sighed. "Thank you..."

* * *

"So Prongs, what do you smell?" Sirius indicated the shimmering Amortentia potion in front of them.

James snorted. "You first, mate."

"But Jamsie-poo!"

"Don't call me that!"

"But Prongs!" Sirius wailed.

James scoffed. "Fine, you bloody idiot." He took a whiff and was still for a few seconds.

"Well?" Sirius demanded.

"Grass, like on the Quidditch pitch," James replied, eyes still closed. "Broom varnish…" His eyes suddenly snapped open and they were hard and angry. "Ruddy potion must be faulty," he said through gritted teeth and Vanished it.

"Oi!" Sirius yelped. "I didn't have a go at it yet!"

"Take Moony's," James replied, still talking through a clenched jaw. He turned away angrily and glared at the far wall.

Sirius examined him for a few seconds. "Prongs, what did you smell?"

"Nothing!" James snapped.

"_Prongs_." But James didn't respond again. Exhaling angrily, Sirius leaned back in his chair. "Did you smell your mum's knickers or something?"

James gave him a strange look, but didn't say anything. "So it was your mum's knickers!"

"Don't be daft, Padfoot!" James said impatiently. "Look, drop it, alright? I don't want to talk about it."

Sirius grumbled, but fell silent. At that moment, Slughorn dismissed them and they all stood and packed up, Vanishing their potions. The Marauders were one of the last to leave and as James and Sirius went up to Transfiguration, Sirius said quietly, "James, I'm serious; what did you smell?"

James hesitated. He knew by Sirius's tone that his friend wasn't joking. His eyes looked forward and rested upon the red-gold locks of Lily Evans between the rich brown of Lyra's head and the golden wheat color of Rome's hair. "Lilies, Padfoot," he whispered. "I smelled lilies."


	7. Chapter 7

**I think this chapter is pretty good and I really liked the way I ended this chapter with more insight into James's inner turmoil. What do you guys think? And what about the way Sirius and Rome interact? I know it's only a little bit, but I want to know how you guys think of the two of them.**

**Review! :D And I promise I'll put more Jily soon if you do!**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The mild days of September began to fade into the chillier days of October. With the coming of October days came the beginning of Quidditch practices for Gryffindor Team, and the beginning of Lily's and James's patrols together as Head Boy and Head Girl.

The first night, Lily waited anxiously by the Heads' room, wondering if James would show up at all. She was relieved when he finally did, although he didn't say a word and simply marched off without her. She walked a little behind him, listening as he berated students for snogging in closets or taking midnight strolls through the corridor. He took points and doled punishments fairly with a level of maturity that surprised her. When they finally arrived back inside their common room, Lily summoned up the courage to quietly say, "Good night, James."

James paused at his door, then jerked his head in a stiff nod without looking at her and disappeared inside his room without further ado. Smiling sadly, Lily went into her own room as well and closed the door.

After that, they patrolled together three times a week and each night, Lily would quietly bade him good night and James would reply with a short nod before going inside his room. It became a sort of ritual for them and Lily found herself looking forward to that tiny formal nod from him, as it was a sign that he actually acknowledged her instead of ignoring her like he usually does.

Then, on the second Saturday of October, Lily found herself being woken up by Lyra, who was shaking her violently, a gleam in her eye.

"Wha… Ly, what're you doing here?" Lily mumbled.

"Quidditch practice! James booked the field for the entire day! Come on! There's enough time for you to eat something before we start."

"Oh." Lily sat up and yawned widely. "Where's James?" she asked sleepily.

"Downstairs, eating. I saw him come down but I couldn't find you so I came to get you. Thank Merlin Sirius told me what your password is. It's so like James to choose Quidditch as his password, wasn't it?"

"That's what I thought," Lily agreed, going into the bathroom to brush her teeth and pull her hair back into a thick braid which she coiled into a knot. Coming out, she pulled on her school robes and followed Lyra down to the Great Hall.

James and Sirius were still there when she and Lyra came down. Rome, Peter, and Remus were sitting close by and Lily noticed Rome was sitting closer to Sirius than she normally did.

"Good morning," Lily said wearily, rubbing her eyes.

"Morning. Didn't you sleep at all last night?" Rome asked.

"No. I had patrols." She briefly glanced at James, who was studiously digging into his kippers.

"Oh? Are you sure you just did patrols?" Sirius also glanced at James, but he was also wagging his eyebrows.

Annoyed, James threw his napkin at Sirius's face. "Shut it, Padfoot." He stood, his breakfast abandoned. "I'll meet you all down at the pitch in twenty minutes." He turned on his heel and stormed away.

Lily watched him go, a sad expression on her face. "Don't mind him," Remus told her gently.

"I know," she sighed and started on the sausages Rome had piled onto her plate.

Rome took a sip of pumpkin juice. "I still can't get used to this drink."

"What do you have in America?" Sirius asked her.

"Orange juice, apple juice, occasionally cranberry juice." Rome shrugged.

Sirius looked horrified. "Apple juice?! That stuff's rubbish! It's not even made from apples!"

"Hey! It tastes good!"

"No it doesn't! It doesn't even taste like apples!"

"That's cause you're so hooked up on pumpkin juice!"

Lyra and Lily shook their heads at Sirius and Rome. They finished their breakfasts and stood. "Come on, Sirius," Lily said. "Quidditch practice."

"Wha— Oh." He stood and left with them.

They walked down to the pitch and saw that James was already soaring through the air and breakneck speeds, performing loops and dives and twists that took Lily's breath away.

"He's working off steam," Sirius noted. "He only ever flies like that when he's furious." He paused. "Or when he wants to distract himself."

"It's me, right?" Lily said glumly. She watched James perform the Wronski Feint, a move she learned in a book on Seeker tactics in the library.

"He probably just has a lot on his mind," Lyra said. She guided Lily towards the female changing rooms. "I already got your robes prepared."

"Thanks, Ly," Lily said gratefully, changing into her scarlet Quidditch robes. As for her waist-length locks, she pulled it into a thick braid that she tied with a rubber band and went to get her broom.

Lyra was waiting for her outside. She handed over Lily's broom. "Come on, Sirius is already at the pitch."

They mounted their brooms and soared into the stadium. James, Sirius, and the rest of the team were on the ground and the two girls swooped down and dismounted. "Try to be earlier next time," James scowled.

"We still have three minutes," Lyra said crossly.

"Whatever. So today, we have a new Seeker, Lily Evans. Evans, you're going to have to learn our techniques and style as fast as possible or you're just going to get in our way. Today I want you to observe our movements as well as look for the Snitch. If you get in the way of any of us, you're going to have to do extra after practice today, do you understand?" James said coolly.

"Er, yes."

"Alright, team, mount up!" They followed his orders and rose into the air as James reached down and opened a trunk, revealing the Bludgers, Quaffle, and Snitch. He let loose the Bludgers and the Snitch and tossed the Quaffle up to Lyra. "Let's see if Brown's still up to his caliber this year!" he called.

"Aye, aye!" Lyra called back mockingly.

Lily stayed high in the air, watching how the Chasers moved flawlessly together, how Sirius and Jane weaved through them, hitting the Bludgers back and forth to each other without getting in the way of any of the Chasers and without hitting any of them with a bat or Bludger. She noticed how Eric Brown managed to block most of the Chasers' attacks.

At the same time, she was searching for the tiny Snitch. She swooped down a little as Wilson Clark sped past her and twisted in the air to avoid a Bludger. She flew around the pitch, learning how to evade her team members and the balls, being conscious of every little detail, every twitch of muscle that would determine where someone might fly next. Having done something similar already once, she wasn't doing too bad until someone rammed into her side when she was looking the other way.

"Pay more attention!" James growled at her as he steadied himself. Lily opened her mouth to apologize, but he had already sped off in chase of the Quaffle in Lyra's hands.

Face burning, Lily swooped lower before shooting up until she was right by the podium where Remus usually commentates. Her eyes darted around. Where was the Snitch?

There! It was close by Jane's foot. It swerved away and Lily tracked it with her eyes as she dove after it.

"Look out!" Lyra cried and Lily had to roll in midair to avoid Lyra as she flew right by where Lily's head would've been. By the time Lily had managed to roll back upright, the Snitch was gone.

Gritting her teeth with frustration, she zoomed towards the other side of the pitch, eyes scanning for a flash of gold.

Scarlet showed in her peripheral vision and she hastily flew out of the way as Sirius shot by, wielding his bat. She followed him slightly, her eyes darting every which way.

Wilson was suddenly next to her for a split second, hands reaching out to catch the Quaffle, and then he was gone. Lily blinked at the suddenness of the motion and paused somewhere near the goalposts, resuming her search.

Then she saw it. It was hovering close to James's face, about a few inches below his ear, about twenty feet away from Lily. She shot forward in a burst of speed, arm outstretched.

James noticed she was flying right at him and his mouth opened, no doubt to yell at her or something, but his eyes widened as her hand suddenly grabbed at something and she flew over his shoulder in a blaze of scarlet.

And then Lily was yelling with triumph, her hand clenched around the Golden Snitch, its wings fluttering as it tried to escape.

The rest of the Gryffindor Team roared back, but only James was silent. He was staring at her as she hovered in the sky in the sunlight, her hair a brand of fire and her robes the color of a crimson rose and an expression of joy and triumph on her face as her emerald eyes flashed with confidence.

And he couldn't help but think she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

But only lasted for a split second and he looked away, feeling the familiar anger and hatred creep into his heart again. But this time, the onrush of negative emotion was weaker and the little tiny voice that had always questioned _why_ began to speak again.

And he thought that that little voice sounded very much like Lily Evans.


	8. Chapter 8

**I love this chapter so much. I just, I wow, like this is an amazing chapter for me, but it's so short tho **

**But do you think this is happening too soon? I mean... it's only the 8th chapter and there's more to come but... what do you think? Too soon? Just right? Did I lay it on too thick? Too short? What?**

**And spoiler for you guys: next chapter is the big revealing of James and Lily's story! Yay~! I can't wait! So review what you guys think about this chapter and the sooner you review the sooner I publish Chapter 9!**

* * *

**Chapter 8**

James tossed and turned in his bed two nights later after the first Quidditch practice. The voice was there again. It was always wondering _why, why, WHY_?

Why did he hate Lily Evans?

But he always pushed it back, because—

No, he doesn't want to think it. It was… bewildering. It was too much to handle. Hating Lily Evans has been the most constant thing in his life. That and his friendship with the Marauders. To question his hatred for her would be—

Unthinkable.

There was a soft knock on the door. "James?" Lily called. "It's time for patrols."

With a soft growl, James sat up and wrenched open the door, stomping past her confused, scared face…

The voice began to protest.

"Come on, then," he said in a tight voice.

Lily followed quietly as he strode through the corridors. Her scent wafted up to him and he tensed as he smelled lilies again.

The voice grew stronger and he clenched his fists, struggling to push it down. He didn't notice he'd stopped in the middle of the corridor, muscles tense, eyes glaring at the ground.

"James?" Lily was standing next to him. "James, is something wrong? Are you alright? Do you need to visit the hospital wing?" Her hand reached up to touch his arm.

He twisted away, his hand whipping hers away. "Don't touch me!" he shouted.

Lily looked frightened. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

His mind whirled. The voice was screaming at him now, demanding for answers. Her scent intoxicated him. And the way she was biting that plump lower lips of hers…

James groaned. "Who the hell do you think you are?" he snarled.

"Sorry?" she asked.

"I said who the hell do you think you are!" he yelled. "Who do you think you are to make me feel this way?!"

He whirled away from her and stared out one of the windows, breathing heavily. Confusion, lust, hatred, and fear roiled within him. He slammed his hands on the windowsill, unable to take the onslaught of emotion torturing him from inside.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Lily said from behind him.

"YOU! You make me feel so…so confused." James turned away from the window and pressed the heels of his palms to his forehead. "Why?" he whispered. His voice hardened. "WHY?!" he roared.

"James, you're scaring me." Lily was backing away, but he had no intention of letting her escape. "Maybe I should get Sirius—"

"No," he interrupted her. "No." He looked at her, his eyes boring into hers. "Why do you do this to me? What have I done to deserve this?" He was babbling now. "There's so much, so much fear. And confusion. And-And…" He stopped, breathing heavily, the voice howling, the emotions fighting within him. He stared at her, at this beautiful goddess who he hated and—

No! He cannot let himself think of her this way!

But _why_? Why not?

"Lily," James whispered brokenly, clutching his hair. "Why do I hate you?"

He watched tears streak down her cheeks. "James…"

He didn't move as she came forward and wrapped her arms around him. "James, it's alright if you're confused, if you don't know—"

He wrenched from her, his eyes widened. He stared at her seeing the tears streaming from her eyes. This was… This was what he had been hiding from. All this time… all these years…

"I don't know why I hate you," he whispered, struck with the realization that went against everything he had ever felt about her in the past six years.

"I don't know why I hate you." He fell against the wall in shock, eyes still staring at Lily, who sobbed, hands pressed to her mouth. "I… Oh, God…"

Fear overcame him and he ran, ran away from the girl who held the answers, ran away from the girl who he didn't know why he hated, ran away from the girl who he had somehow, unconsciously, had grown to care for despite his hatred.

He ran.


	9. Chapter 9

**Oh my sweet goodness, this chapter though... I don't know if it's too cliché or too dull or too long (this chapter took 12 pages on Microsoft Word) or not interesting or... GAH! I'm so happy and so worried by this chapter! I know people have been requesting me to hurry up with James and Lily's story and I'm just praying to whatever god there is out there that this will not be too cliché or something like that because it literally broke my heart a little to write this.**

**I was going to have Lily literally tell this story, but then in a split second decision I was like huh, maybe a flashback would be better and when I wrote it out... I was right! Okay, I know I'm keeping you guys from reading this juicy chapter...**

**I'm begging you guys to review on your thoughts. This chapter is so important to me. You guys cannot even believe how important this chapter is to me. So please, please, PLEASE review if you love me and this fanfiction!**

**Oh and one last thing... Hope you guys are happy with the length LOL**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

Lily sobbed as she sat in the Gryffindor Common Room at 1 in the morning, surrounded by her friends. Lyra and Rome sat on either side of her, their arms wrapped around her in an attempt to comfort her.

"I-I don't know what happened. I don't know how it's like between us now," Lily choked out as she finished telling them what had happened.

"James rarely runs from his problems, but if he ran this time…" Remus exchanged a worried glance with Sirius.

"He might hate Lily even more, right?" Rome asked quietly. Sirius shrugged.

"Rome," Lily whispered and her friend leaned in. "I think I should tell you… the reason why James hates me."

Rome was shocked into silence for a few seconds. "Lily, are you sure? I mean, this isn't exactly the right time…"

"I'm sure." Lily gave her a watery smile.

"Alright," Rome said. The others, having already heard the story, made themselves comfortable.

Lily took a deep breath and began her tale.

* * *

_Young six-year-old Lily Evans was clutching to her father's hand, her eyes staring around excitedly._

"_Daddy I want the elephant!" she yelled, pointing at a huge stuffed elephant hanging in a stall. "No, I want the tiger!"_

"_Slow down, Flower Bud," Mr. Evans laughed. "We have a while."_

"_I love the fair!" Lily chirped, jumping up and down excitedly. "Can we have cotton candy, Daddy? Can we? Can we?"_

"_Lily," Mrs. Evans scolded. "Too much candy is bad for a growing girl."_

"_Nonsense!" Mr. Evans said. "I'll buy you and Tuney cotton candy right now if you want."_

"_Yay!" Lily cheered. "Thanks, Daddy!"_

"_John!" Mrs. Evans said disapprovingly._

"_Rose, it's just for a day. Besides, it's not every day they get to eat the stuff."_

"_Oh all right," Mrs. Evans sighed. "Lily, come here. I don't want you wandering off."_

_Petunia held onto Lily's hand. "Lily, stop jumping around!"_

"_But I want to go see the funny men over there!" She pointed at a group of clowns, who were handing out balloons. "I want a balloon!"_

_Mr. Evans reappeared with two sticks of pink cotton candy. "Here you go; two cotton candies for my Flower Buds."_

_Lily and Petunia giggled and began eating. Within seconds, their faces were sticky with the stuff._

"_Now I remember why I don't like the girls eating cotton candy," Mrs. Evans sighed. She took out a handkerchief, wet it with water from a bottle, and tried to wash Lily's face while she was still eating. "Lily, hold still!"_

"_You can do it after they're eating," Mr. Evans said. "So where do you girls want to go next?"_

"_I want to go to the carousel!"_

"_I want to see the animals!"_

"_One at a time, alright?" Mr. Evans laughed. "Let's flip a coin. Heads for Lily, tails for Tuney." The girls nodded and he flipped the coin. He caught it as it fell and slapped it on the back of his hand. "Sorry, Lily, looks like Tuney won this time."_

"_Yay! Carousel!" _

_Lily pouted a little, but as they headed towards the carousel, she started to get excited as well. "I want to ride the big white horse!"_

"_No I want that one!" Tuney said._

"_No, me!"_

"_Girls, don't argue," Mrs. Evans said. "Lily, why don't you ride the big gray horse over there? I remember you said you wanted a big gray horse."_

"_Ok." Lily obediently let herself get lifted up to the horse while her sister joyfully rode the white horse. As the horse bobbed up and down, she began to laugh as the wind blew the hair back from her face._

"_Hey!" Lily looked over and saw a boy with messy hair riding a brown horse with a black mane behind her. _

"_Hi!" she called back._

"_You look like you're having fun," he said, grinning._

"_So do you!" _

"_You know your face has cotton candy on it, right?"_

_Lily licked her lips. "It tastes good!"_

_The boy laughed. "You should clean up or the flies will be after you!"_

"_Flies?" Lily cried. "Yuck!" She started to frantically wipe her face with her arm._

_He laughed again and Lily smiled as she saw his hazel eyes shine with mirth. "You're funny, what's your name? I'm James Potter."_

"_I'm Lily Evans!" Lily said._

"_That's a nice name!" He smiled at her._

"_You too!" The ride began to slow and Lily watched her parents wave to her before they spun out of view. "Those were my Mum and Dad!" _

"_My Mum's over there. Hi Mum!" James waved to a tall woman with straight black hair and blue eyes. She waved back and blew a kiss at her son. "Ew, Mum!"_

_Lily roared with laughter as the carousel finally stopped. The operator went around unbuckling them and Lily slid to the ground. "Bye, James!" she called as she ran for the exit._

"_Bye, Lily!" James called._

_Lily eagerly ran, searching for her father's red hair at the exit, but she frowned when she couldn't see him. "Dad!" she called. "Mum! Tuney!"_

_But nobody responded and she felt tears begin to well in her eyes. "Mum!"_

"_Hey little girl." A man with a wide smile leaned down. "You're very pretty."_

"_Thank you," she whispered._

"_You want ice cream? I know a place with very good ice cream. You want ice cream, little girl?"_

"_No." Lily shook her head. She didn't like this man, with his too-wide smile and the strange look in his pale eyes. "I want my Mum."_

"_Aw, but you're very pretty, little girl." He reached for her, but she ran away. "Where are you going, little girl?" he called after her._

_Lily ran, panting. "Mum! Dad!" she yelled. Men and women gave her strange worrying looks, but she ran past them, calling for her parents._

_She ran to where her father had bought her cotton candy. "Mum! Dad!"_

"_You alright?" the cotton candy vendor asked her, a concerned look on his face._

"_I don't know where's my Mum and Dad," Lily sniffled, fat tears dripping from her eyes._

"_Well, you can always ask a police officer. They can help you look for your Mum and Dad."_

_Lily brightened. "Really? Thank you!" She dashed off in search of a police officer. _

_But she couldn't find one anywhere. Dejected and feeling like she wanted to cry again, Lily wandered to the pier and stared down at the waves lapping at the rocks below._

"_Hi Lily."_

_She turned. "James!"_

_The boy grinned, but it soon slipped from his face. "What's wrong?"_

"_I can't find my Mum and Dad," Lily said, beginning to sniffle again._

"_Hey don't cry!" James said, looking alarmed. "I'll go get my Mum and we'll look for your Mum and Dad together, alright?"_

"_Okay," Lily said._

"_Wait here, I'll go get her!" James dashed off into the crowd again._

_Suddenly, the man with the wide smile was there again. "Hello, little girl. I'm glad I've found you again."_

_Lily backed away and didn't say anything._

"_Aw, don't be like that, little girl. You're very pretty, you know that?" He reached for her hair, but Lily continued to back away. "Little girl, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to admire your hair. Such pretty, pretty hair."_

_But Lily's heart began to beat faster as she watched the man come closer. Fear engulfed her and she opened her mouth to scream._

"_Lily?"_

_They turned to see James standing there, looking bewildered. "Lily is that your Dad?" he asked._

"_Yes I am," the man said smoothly. "Thank you for taking care of her. I've been searching everywhere for her."_

"_Oh." But James didn't leave. He was staring at Lily._

_The man's expression hardened. "You may go now."_

_But James held his ground. "If you're Lily's dad, why does she look so scared?" His eyes flashed with anger and he dashed forward to stand between Lily and the man. "Don't touch her!"_

_The man snarled with anger. "Insolent brat!" He struck James across the cheek. The boy reeled and hit his head hard against the metal of the railings. He slumped to the ground, blood pooling around his head._

_Lily screamed and screamed and screamed._

_Then Mr. Evans was there, his face tight with fury. "Get away from my daughter you sick bastard!"_

_And then there was James's mother. "James!" she cried, frantic as she picked up her son.. She looked around, then pulled out a stick and waved it a bit and disappeared with a crack._

_Lily's mouth dropped and she looked around to see if anyone else had noticed, but they were all focused on the man and Mr. Evans, who was being pulled back by police officers._

_Mrs. Evans rushed towards Lily. "Oh Lily!" she cried, pulling her into her arms. "Did he hurt you? Did he touch you?"_

"_N-No," Lily stuttered. "But he hit James."_

"_James? Who is James?"_

"_James is that boy…" Lily looked down and saw that the pool of blood had disappeared._

"_Honey, there was no boy."_

"_Yes there was!" Lily protested. "His mom came and—"_

"_Ma'am, I'm going to need you to bring your daughter with us to the station," a police officer interrupted. "We need to interrogate her about what happened."_

"_Y-Yes, of course."_

_As Lily was carried away, she kept staring at the spot where James and his mother disappeared, wondering where they were and if James was alright._

* * *

"But of course he's not alright," Lily murmured. "He wasn't alright after that."

"That's terrible," Rome whispered.

"There's more," Lyra said grimly.

* * *

_Eleven-year-old Lily Evans gaped as she stared up at Hogwarts. All around her were kids in black robes and then there was a huge man bearing a great lantern._

"_Firs' years over here! Firs' years this way!"_

_Lily followed the huge mountain of a man towards the lake, where a fleet of boats was waiting. She awkwardly climbed into one and sat down next to a small girl with brown hair and familiar hazel eyes._

_The girl glanced at Lily. "Nervous?" she asked._

"_Very," Lily replied._

"_You'll be fine," the girl said reassuringly. She held out her hand. "I'm Lyra Potter."_

_Lily's mouth dropped open. "Potter?"_

_Lyra's mouth curved into a frown. "Yes…?"_

"_I'm sorry, it's just that I knew a Potter long ago." Lily held out her hand. "Lily Evans."_

"_Nice name." The girls shook hands and faced forward as the boats began to move. "So what house do you think you're going to be in?"_

"_House?" Lily was confused._

_Lyra stared at her, surprised. "You don't know about the four houses?"_

"_No."_

"_Well, the four houses are named after the founders of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. The houses compete against each other for points in Quidditch games and in class and stuff. At the end of the year, the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, awards the House Cup to the house with the most points," Lyra rattled off, sounding as if she was reciting it from heart._

"_What's Quidditch?"_

"_You don't know Quidditch?! What are you, Muggle-born or something?"_

_Lily was baffled. "What's a Muggle?"_

"_A non-magical person." Lyra eyed Lily. "It's a good thing you met me first. Most witches and wizards don't like Muggle-borns. Hate them, sometimes. You need to be careful."_

_The boat docked and Lyra and Lily jumped off. A tall, stern woman was standing there in wait of the first years. "Thank you, Hagrid," the woman said._

"_Not at all, Professor," Hagrid said._

"_Come," the woman beckoned to the first years and they followed her up to a large hall. "Welcome to Hogwarts, my name is Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House and Deputy Headmistress. You will be sorted into your new houses shortly. I will go see if they are ready to greet you." She turned and disappeared through a large pair of doors. _

_Lily looked around, taking in all the students and the enormous hall. Her gaze then alighted on a head of messy hair. A very familiar head of messy hair._

"_James?" she asked, astonished. All eyes turned to her as she stepped forward. "James, is that you?"_

_The boy turned and his face was surprised, but the longer he stared at her, to Lily's confusion, his expression turned to one of disgust and hatred. "Who're you?" he spat._

"_J-James, don't you remember me?" Lily was confused and hurt. "I'm Lily. Lily from five years ago, at the fair?"_

"_I don't know you." He confused again._

"_James, you're being rude," Lyra snapped._

"_You know him?" Lily asked her, surprised._

"_He's my cousin," Lyra said, frowning a bit. "And it's weird, he's usually not this rude."_

_Professor McGonagall came in. "Follow me and don't talk!"_

_They followed her and James marched ahead of Lily, leaving her to stare at his back in confusion. She was distracted, however, when she entered the Great Hall and saw the long tables, the ceiling of clouds, the floating candles, the faces of the older students as they looked curiously at the new first years._

_Professor McGonagall was standing by a stool with a tattered hat upon it. "When I call your name you will approach this chair." She took out a scroll. "Abbot, Tony."_

"_How do you know James?" Lyra hissed in Lily's ear._

"_I'll tell you later!" Lily whispered back. She looked at James. "I can't believe he's forgotten me."_

"_Well, it's been five years, maybe that's why."_

"_But he looked like he hated me. And I haven't forgotten him at all."_

_Lyra shrugged. "I don't know. He never mentioned you."_

"_Evans, Lily!" Professor McGonagall called. Lily gulped and nervously walked up to the stool. Behind, she saw an old man with a long silver beard smile encouragingly at her and she turned and sat. The hat was placed over her head, but it was so big it covered half her face. She heard a rumble of amusement from the rest of the students and blushed._

"_Hmm… interesting." Lily gasped as she heard someone speak _inside_ her mind. "Relax, girl, I'm just the hat." The voice paused. "You've had an interesting past and you're quite intelligent too. I know of a house that would suit you well." It paused again. "But you're brave and you aren't afraid to stand up to others… Interesting, interesting. Well, I've made my choice. You will be put in…_

"_GRYFFINDOR!" the hat bellowed and it was removed from her head._

_There was a table that was clapping and shifting aside several seats. Lily, grinning, went to join them. She turned to look at Lyra and saw that the other girl was giving her a thumbs up._

_When it was James's turn to be Sorted, the hat bellowed, "GRYFFINDOR!" before it even touched his head. It was the same for Lyra._

_Once the hat and stool were removed, the old man stood and announced, "Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"_

_There was a round of laughter and food suddenly appeared. Lily's eyes widened and she shared an excited look with Lyra before eagerly digging in._

_Halfway through the meal, Professor Dumbledore, the old man, suddenly appeared behind Lily. "Miss Evans, I presume?"_

_Lily quickly wiped her mouth. "Yes sir."_

"_I would like to speak with you in my office, if it's not too inconvenient for you."_

_Lily and Lyra looked at each other, fear and concern in their eyes. "Er, it's alright, Professor." Lily stood and followed Professor Dumbledore out of the Great Hall, feeling the eyes and hearing the whispers as they passed by._

_All the way up, terrible thoughts were running through her mind. Was she expelled? Was it because she was possibly Muggle-born? Did she do something wrong during the Sorting?_

"_Miss Evans, you may calm those fearful thoughts," Professor Dumbledore said. His twinkling eyes looked down at her. "I am not expelling you and you did not do anything wrong during your Sorting. And the fact that you are Muggle-born has nothing to do with what I must discuss with you."_

_Lily blinked. "H-How did you know what I was thinking about?"_

_But Professor Dumbledore only winked as they approached a gargoyle. "Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans," he said calmly._

_Lily watched in fascination as the gargoyle jumped aside. Dumbledore stepped onto the staircase, which began to rotate as soon as he did so and Lily hastened to do so as well._

_They appeared in front of a door and Dumbledore stepped in without hesitation, holding open the door for her as well. She gaped at all the silver instruments whirring and clicking and puffing steam around her. Books lined the walls, and moving portraits stared curiously at her from the walls. _

"_This way, Miss Evans," Dumbledore said, going to a large, neat desk. He sat and bade Lily to sit as well. "Miss Evans, I called you here to meet a very good friend of mine. He is the Head of the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic and, upon finding that you attend Hogwarts, has personally asked to meet you."_

"_Why is that, sir?" Lily whispered._

_But Dumbledore only smiled and looked at a clock on the mantle of the fireplace. "They shall appear shortly. Would you like some refreshments? I seem to recall cutting your dinner off quite abruptly. I apologize for that."_

"_I-It's alright," Lily said. _

_Just then, the fireplace roared and the flames turned green. Lily cried out with surprise as two figures appeared spinning amongst the green flames. They stepped out as the fire returned to normal, dusting themselves off._

"_Good evening, Charles," Dumbledore said. "And to you as well, Adelina." _

"_Good evening, Dumbledore," the man said. "Have you—" He suddenly caught sight of Lily. "Ah, thank you for bringing her, Albus."_

_Lily was gaping up at the man, with his messy hair and hazel eyes, he looked like a much older version of James. The man held out his hand. "Good evening, Lily, my name is Charles Potter, James's father." He indicated the woman next to him. "This is my wife, Adelina Potter."_

"_Hello, Lily." Adelina smiled at her. "I remember you from the fair five years ago."_

"_I remember you too!" Lily said excitedly. "You… you disappeared! With your stick— that was your wand, wasn't it? And you took James—"_

_She broke off and her eyes lowered. "What's wrong?" Charles asked, concerned._

_Lily looked up at him sadly. "Why does James hate me?"_

_Charles, Adelina, and Dumbledore all seemed startled. "James? Hate you?" Charles repeated, surprised._

"_He doesn't remember me either," Lily said. "And when he saw me he looked angry and he looked like he hated me."_

_Adelina placed a hand on Lily's shoulder. "Lily, the reason why Charles and I wanted to meet you was because of five years ago. You see, after that man attacked you and James, I took James to St. Mungo's, a hospital for wizards. He had a concussion and didn't wake up for two days. When he woke, he couldn't remember anything of the fair."_

_Lily looked at her, horrified and she nodded sadly. "But why does he hate me?"_

"_He was young and he was hurt. He was probably traumatized and pushed away anything that reminded him of that day. I'm sorry, Lily." Charles also placed a hand on her shoulder._

_Lily bowed her head. "I thought that he would remember me."_

"_I'm sorry," Adelina whispered. She smiled sympathetically. "But you are always welcome at our house."_

"_Thank you," Lily whispered._

_Dumbledore looked at the clock. "I am sorry, Charles and Adelina, but it's time for Lily to go to her dorm. She has a long day tomorrow."_

_James's parents nodded. "I understand. Good night, Lily," Charles said._

_Adelina pulled Lily into a hug. "Don't be too discouraged," she whispered. "Good night."_

"_Good night, Mr. Potter, Mrs. Potter."_

_They chuckled. "Call us Charles and Adelina," Charles said, smiling._

_The door knocked and Professor McGonagall stepped in. "Hello, Minerva," Adelina said warmly._

"_Hello, Adelina. Miss Evans, I am to show you to your dorm. Please come with me."_

"_Good night, Professor," Lily called to Dumbledore._

"_Good night, Miss Evans," he replied as the door shut after her._

"_She's very polite," Lily heard Charles say._

"_She is. Still, I can't believe James…"_

"_Don't worry; perhaps it will wear off in time."_

_Lily trotted after Professor McGonagall, ears ringing with what she heard. McGonagall led her to the Fat Lady, told Lily the password, and showed her where the girl's dorm was._

_Lyra was waiting for Lily. "So, what was that about?" she asked as Lily changed._

"_I met James's parents." _

_Lyra gasped. "Uncle Charles and Aunt Adelina?"_

_Lily nodded. "They told me that James had a concussion and that he doesn't remember anything from five years ago." She sighed miserably as she went to brush her teeth. When she came back, Lyra as still thinking thoughtfully._

"_Well, don't be too sad, Lily," she said comfortingly. "Maybe it'll wear off."_

"_Yeah," Lily sighed. "Maybe…"_

* * *

Rome was staring at Lily and Lyra, a shocked and sad look on her face. "That's… wow."

Lily nodded and yawned. "Come on, you need to sleep," Lyra said. She pulled Lily up and led her up to the girl's dorm. "You boys should get some sleep too."

Rome looked at Remus, Peter, and Sirius. "You all knew?"

They nodded. "Lily told us in fourth year. It was… shocking," Remus said.

"And now James is off his rocker somewhere in the castle." Sirus stood and stretched. "I'm going to go look for him."

"Sirus, you should sleep!" Peter said.

"James is my best mate. I should've gone when Lily started talking." He headed towards the portrait hole. "See you."

Rome stared after him. "Should I go as well?"

"No. If there's anyone who can get through to James, it's Sirius." Remus stood as well. "We should all get some rest. Come on, Peter."

"Good night," the boy said to Rome before following Remus.

Rome, now alone, sat staring at the flames. After listening to Lily's story…

She bit her lip. "Maybe I should get some rest too," she whispered to herself. Dawn was approaching and they had classes in a few short hours. With a quiet sigh, she headed up the girls dormitory.


	10. Chapter 10

**Guys... I really don't feel like working on this fanfiction anymore. I haven't been feeling anything for it these past few weeks. It seriously looks like a piece of s*** to me and while I am so close to deleting it, I keep getting reviews begging me to go on and those are the only things that make me want to keep working on this even while I'm on a steady decline. I don't know if I should work on this anymore. This is not a plea for me to get more reviews. I just want to know your honest opinions on whether or not I should abandon this once and for all, if I should lose hope and delete this, and maybe even some reassurances on continuing this. Please, I'm going through a dark time for this story and a little advice or comfort to ease my mind would be greatly appreciated.**

**On another note, I keep thinking some people might be thinking that Lily is being very whiny right now so I decided to have Rome set her straight. Sorry it's so short, but I really don't know if I should continue this.**

**Please review...**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

Lily woke late the next day in Lyra's bed. She stirred and rolled over, feeling lethargic, and sighed.

"Lily?" someone asked quietly. Lily's eyes cracked open to see Rome bent over her, looking concerned. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. "I think so," she whispered and sat up. The sunlight streamed in through the window. Judging by the amount, it was noon.

Rome sat down next to her. "I have a free period right now. Lyra and the others are in class."

"What about James?" Lily asked.

"Sirius went to look for him last night, but I haven't seen either of them yet today." Rome watched as Lily dropped her head. "Lily, it really isn't your fault."

"I know, but what if it is?" Lily fretted.

Her friend sat down next to her. "You really have to stop being pessimistic. Seriously, it gets tiring after a while. I'm not saying you're a boorish person, but if you actually quit moaning and actually do something about it, maybe it'll make more of an effect."

Lily's mouth dropped open, but Rome was not finished. "It's time you got your head out of your ass and go up to James and, well, confess or something! Sirius and Lyra can't do anything if you keep crying about it and you're not helping yourself. So come on." She grabbed Lily's arm and hauled her out of bed.

"W-Where are we going?" Lily spluttered.

"To find James."

"No!" Lily ripped her hand away from Rome. "He's distraught. I… I know you're right that I need to stop crying about it, but… not now. I can't face him right now."

"Why not?" Rome's voice was impatient.

"He wouldn't want to see me right now."

"Well he's going to have to. You have patrol with him tomorrow." Rome stared at Lily's terrified gaze and sighed. "You know, I thought Gryffindors were all about bravery, but looking at you, that doesn't seem to be the case right now."

"You don't know me," Lily mumbled.

"Oh really? Well, alright, I don't, but from what I've heard about you over the last six years Lily, you spent your time hiding from James instead of going up to him and confronting him about the issue and it's high time you do it now."

They stared at each other. Lily sighed. "Thanks Rome. For telling me all that."

The other girl grinned. "No problem."

Lily began to head towards the door. "I'm getting a little hungry. You want to come with me down to the kitchens?"

"The kitchens?" Rome asked interestedly.

"Sirius never took you there?"

"Nope."

"Huh, strange. You know he likes you, right?"

Rome instantly blushed. "Uh…"

Lily smiled. "He does. I've never seen him so happy around a girl who isn't me or Lyra. Usually he just snogs the other ones and dumps them a week later." She paused. "I haven't made a good impression of him, haven't I?"

Rome laughed as they descended the stairs. "No you haven't."

They crossed the near-empty common room and opened the door just as Sirius walked in. Rome yelped with surprise and blushed.

Sirius looked at her. "You ok?"

"She was just startled. Are you going back to your dorm room?" Lily asked.

"Yeah." He suddenly looked a little unsure, but leaned in and beckoned Lily closer. "James is up there," he whispered.

Lily jerked back with surprise and stared at him. "He didn't go back to our dorm?"

"No. I don't think he plans to, honestly. He made me go get some of his robes and stuff. I think he's going to kip on his old bed for a while." Sirius held up a knapsack as proof.

Lily's face fell, but she didn't say anything. Rome gripped her shoulder. "Is everybody still in class?" she asked.

"Yeah. I take it you're on your way to the kitchens? Lunch ended last period."

"Lily's taking us down," Rome explained.

Sirius nodded and glanced up at the boy's dorm. Lily saw and smiled sadly. "It's alright Sirius. You should be with James right now. I bet he's not feeling well."

"Are you sure? I don't mind…" His eyes flickered to Rome, but they shot back almost immediately to the dorms.

"I'm sure."

He let out a long sigh. "Alright. See you at dinner?"

They nodded and he disappeared up the boy's staircase. Lily stared after him wistfully before turning to Rome. "Come on, let's go down to the kitchens."


	11. Chapter 11

**I want to thank every single one of the people who reviewed on Chapter 10 and giving me kind words of motivation and support. I thank you for getting me back on my feet and I'll do my best to finish this fanfiction to the very end. I hope you guys will enjoy the rest of my story!**

**This is short, I know, but I wrote this half as a filler and the other half to have Lily confront James about that night he freaked out. Next chapter will be a lot longer because... QUIDDITCH MATCH! And believe me, you don't want to miss this one. **

**Review and once again, thank you so much!**

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**Chapter 11**

James avoided Lily for a full two weeks. Quite a feat, actually, since they had patrols and whatnot, but he managed it, being a Marauder and all.

Needless to say, Lily was miserable for those two weeks but did her best to keep going on and stopped her friends from confronting James about it, saying he needed time to adjust.

But James couldn't hide from her forever.

Quidditch practices were an ample opportunity for Lily to be at least a little closer to James. He couldn't very well ignore his Seeker when the first game of the year is in the middle of October. Instead, he passed instructions to her in a monotone voice, avoiding eye contact and only speaking to her when others are close enough to eavesdrop.

Lily on her part flew magnificently. The practices with Lyra and Rome after school and during free periods helped a lot and she now caught the Snitch 9 times out of 10. It was a huge improvement, but James seemed to ignore all of that, only critiquing her on every little thing.

After a very cold and windy practice one Sunday evening, James gathered his teammates around them. "Great job, everyone. We'll hammer the Slytherins on Saturday. Everyone get lots of rest. We'll have a last practice on Wednesday. Now let's get Sirius to the showers. The smell is making me faint."

Everyone laughed and Sirius lifted his arms, shoving the pits close to James, who kicked him away. Lyra and Lily shook their heads in amusement.

The Gryffindor Quidditch Team trooped back to the showers, but on the way, they were intercepted by a few Slytherins.

"Oh look, it's the Mudblood lovers," one of them sneered, looking at Lily.

"Shut your trap!" Lyra shouted.

Wilson Clark whipped out his wand. Being Muggle-born, he was as sensitive to the derogatory remarks as Lily and any Gryffindor.

"Stop it, Wilson!" Jane Finnigan said sharply. "Just ignore them."

"Yeah, sod off Bulstrode," Sirius snapped.

"We're going to whip you and your wimpy team next Saturday," Eric Brown snarled.

Bulstrode sneered at Lily. "We'll see about that." Lily glared back, refusing to back down.

"Lily's worth ten of you," Lyra said disdainfully. "You're scum compared to her."

A Slytherin boy reached for his wand, but before his hand even touched his robes, James and Sirius had their wands out pointing at his face. "Don't even think about it," James said, eyes narrowed.

The third boy scowled. "Come on," he muttered. The Slytherins stepped back and headed towards the castle. The Gryffindors watched them go with narrowed eyes. When the three figures were finally gone, they finally relaxed.

"It's alright Lily, Wilson," Jane said. "We'll slaughter them."

"I'm not worried about them," Lily said. She turned and strode away. "I just want a shower."

"Amen," Wilson said, following her. "And Sirius, you really do smell."

The others laughed, ignoring Sirius's indignant shout, and followed Lily and Wilson into the female or male showers.

Out of the three girls, Lily finished first. She walked out of the changing rooms in her school robes, running her fingers through her magically dried hair, and froze.

James was standing in front of the boy's changing room, facing her. Seeing her, his eyes widened and he turned away, walking a little ways away from her.

Lily bit her lip and made a decision. Walking after him, she stopped a few feet away and called softly, "James."

He froze, but did not turn around. "What?"

She blinked, surprised that he was actually replying. "Er… are you alright? After that night…"

"I'm fine," he said curtly. "Is that all?"

She took a deep breath. "Why are you ignoring me?"

James was silent.

"I've made excuses, saying you needed time to adjust after what happened, but I want to know the real reason." With each word, Lily sounded more and more confident and her back straightened, her chin up.

He let out a bitter laugh. "Persistent, aren't you?"

Lily bowed her head. "James, I don't know if you know this, but I've been in love—"

"I know and it doesn't change anything," he interrupted. "Do you understand? What I had was a momentary lapse of character." James turned back around and his eyes… Lily was shocked to see his eyes so dark a brown they were almost black. "What happened was nothing."

She stared at him, feeling like she wanted to cry. "James…"

"Prongs!" someone called in a cheery voice.

They turned to see Sirius walking towards them, grin on his face with Lyra next to him. "Come on, let's go get some food! I'm starving!"

James smiled back and the two boys went up the path to the castle, joking and laughing. Lily watched them go, still fighting back tears. Lyra wrapped a comforting arm around her. "We heard everything, Sirius and I. James is lying, Lils. Don't let it get to you."

Lily nodded and wiped her eyes. "I know he's lying, but it still hurts."

Lyra smiled sympathetically and they walked up together.


	12. Chapter 12

**Short, I know, but I liked writing this chapter a lot. It was hard thinking how to write a Quidditch scene because I'm no J.K Rowling but I think I did alright. **

**I bet you all know who it was at the end of the chapter, you cheeky buggers. If not, take a guess and tell me who you think it is! Next chapter will be the beginning of the change! So review if you want me to get to Chapter 13 faster! **

* * *

**Chapter 12**

Lily stared down at her bacon and eggs and kippers, feeling like she wanted to hurl. Next to her, Lyra was eating, but there was still a hint of anxiety in her features. Remus was rubbing her shoulders comfortingly as he ate and across the table James, Sirius, and Rome were swapping jokes, the picture of relaxation.

"Aren't you nervous at all?" Lily croaked, staring at them.

"Nah, why should we?" Sirius asked, grinning.

"I don't know— because there's a Quidditch match today?!"

"Relax, Lilyflower. You'll do fine."

But Lily resumed staring at her breakfast with a look of despair on her face. Rome picked up a strip of bacon and shoved it into her face. "At least eat something."

"I can't. I'll throw up," she whispered.

"Don't," James said, not looking at her. "It'll be a shame if you got a mess all over yourself. Gryffindor Team will be the laughingstock of the whole school."

"So you only care about the team's reputation, not that I'm worried and scared beyond belief and I might be sick?" Lily demanded.

James looked at her blandly. "Yes."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "Ignore him, Lils. He's a prat."

But Lily had buried her face in her hands. "We're doomed…"

"Lils, just calm down. You'll do amazing," Rome said soothingly. She pushed a goblet of pumpkin juice towards her. "Eat up."

But Lily only sipped a little of her juice before James stood. "Alright, let's go!"

As one, the Gryffindor Team rose to the cheers of their House and the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws and the boos of the Slytherins. Lily swallowed nervously as Lyra led her down to the pitch and into the changing rooms before meeting once with the team for a last minute pep talk.

"Just stay cool, and you'll do fine," James said. "Sirius, Jane, don't forget to stay in the sun. Eric, watch out for Lestrange; he feints a lot. Lyra, Wilson, shoot straight. Evans…" He paused. "Regulus is pretty fast and good at maneuvers, but your dives are better than his. Watch out for when he tries to cut you off."

Lily could only nod, her throat closing up as she frantically tried to remember James's words through the ringing in her ears.

"Good luck, everyone," James finished. He turned and led them onto the field.

There were cheers and roars everywhere. Lily, astounded, looked around with wide eyes. The majority of the school was wearing Gryffindor colors, but in the rowdiest section of the stands, she could see Rome, Remus, and Peter in the front, smiling broadly. They waved at Lily and she smiled weakly in response.

The teams got into position and Lily could see Bulstrode smiling wickedly. He was Beater for the Slytherin Team and wielded his bat with deadly accuracy. Trying not to show her fear, Lily glared right back and focused on Regulus Black, Sirius's younger brother, who looked as impassive as ever.

The whistle blew and Lily blasted into the air.

"And it's James Potter with the Quaffle!" Dorcas Meadowes of Hufflepuff was shouting into the purple megaphone. "He passes it to his cousin, who passes it to Clark. He sc— No! He's blocked by Derrick the Slytherin Keeper!"

Lily, dazed during those few seconds of the match, shook her head, clearing it. She wasn't supposed to pay attention to what was going on. Find the Snitch, just find the Snitch.

Below, she spotted Regulus soaring around, head whipping from side to side in an attempt to search for the Golden Snitch.

Taking his example, Lily began to cast her eyes around when—

"And Evans barely manages to dodge the Bludger shot to her by Bulstrode from Slytherin!"

There was a gasp from below as Lily scrabbled to remain on her broom, a collective sigh of relief rising from the stands as she found her seat again. Panting, she shot away from Bulstrode, hovering closer to the Slytherin side of the pitch.

"Come on, come on!" she muttered, searching desperately for a flash of gold.

"Regulus Black has spotted the Snitch!"

"What?!" Lily screeched, seeing Regulus racing upwards, his hand outstretched.

"Come on, Lily!" Jane screamed as she shot past.

Lily was already in hot pursuit, racing as fast as she could go to Regulus, who spotted her and was straining even harder for the Snitch. His fingers were an inch away…

Desperately, she was about to knock him away with her own body when a Bludger came hurtling into Regulus.

"Sirius Black has just hit a Bludger into his own brother!"

Distracted, Lily tore her eyes away from the Snitch and in the commotion, it has disappeared.

"Evans!" James roared, flying up to her. "You've got to do better than that! Get your act together or you're out of the team!"

She opened her mouth to apologize, but he was already diving down to receive the Quaffle from Wilson.

Furious with herself, Lily rose higher into the air. James was right, if she didn't get it together, she could be kicked off. Another thing he was right about: her dives were exceptional. She had a better chance of catching the Snitch from high up in the air.

Regulus has recovered and hovered on the other side of the field. She tore her eyes from him and glared down into the game, looking for the telltale hint of gold. Circling a little over the pitch, she caught hints of the game happening below her.

Lyra scored, bringing the points 60 to 30. She screamed with victory as James clapped her on the back as he flew by.

Jane rolling as a Bludger narrowly missed her and Sirius shooting another Bludger at Bulstrode, which missed as well.

There was a ringing as the Slytherins scored, bringing it up to 60 to 40.

Lily tried the other side of the field, going into the area Regulus was monitoring. He glanced at her, but didn't make a fuss of it. Ignoring him, Lily looped around him, still searching.

There was a whirring in her ear and she looked up. The Snitch was right in front of her! She made a grab for it, but it dodged and shot into the sky.

"Lily Evans has spotted the Snitch! Regulus Black in hot pursuit…"

But Lily heard none of that as she chased the Snitch into the clouds. They were going higher than she'd ever been before, but she didn't notice. She glimpsed emerald green robes and knew Regulus was pursuing her, but had no time to do anything about it. Her hand was reaching forward—

And the Snitch dived back down to earth in the blink of an eye. Not sure if she was feeling irritated that it managed to elude her again, or that she was thankful she could now dive, Lily tilted her broom down in a small loop and shot after the Snitch. She heard someone curse behind her and knew Regulus hasn't managed to keep up with her sudden move.

She was racing… racing… Colors flashed by her and someone shrieked, "Go, Lily!"

She was diving, her broom flying so fast the wind forced tears out of her eyes and her hair threatened to escape her braid. She was dimly aware of everyone stopping just to watch her reach… reach… reach…

Her hand brushed the golden ball. She started to close her fingers around it—

_WHAM!_

People were screaming as something dark, solid, and painful rammed into her side. Everything turned white and she had the sensation of falling, plummeting down to earth, feeling like she couldn't breathe. Wind seemed to be howling in her ears, but she couldn't hear. She couldn't see. It was turning dark.

The last thing she felt was the feeling of someone's arms closing around her.


End file.
